Gabriel Iglesias: Where ‘Wrestle Mania meets the Food Network’

A few issues back, Beth talked about her obsession with 90s favorite “Full House,” and her eventual, if not momentary, breakdown when it signed off the air for the last time.

This could be my story for many shows over the years, but none so much as the youth-oriented Nickelodeon sketch comedy show, “All That.”

Call it a generational thing if you want, but that show brought the laughs, gave us the greatest

catchphrases of our lifetime (“Who loves orange soda?”) and was the first step in the business for many up-and-coming comedians.

One of those funny people that you might have missed is now selling out comedy shows across the country and will be in Beaumont on Wednesday. That’s right, Mr. Fluffy himself: Gabriel Iglesias.

“I came on a year after Kenan and Kel went away,” Iglesias said in a phone interview. “I was definitely the oldest cast member, but I had a young looking face. I was 20 years old and had braces so that helped.”

Season six of “All That” in 2000 was Iglesias’ first time to make money from being funny and it’s been quite a progression since.

Last fall, Comedy Central picked up a show that he had already produced with some comedian friends. This comes on the heels of his comedy specials, “Hot and Fluffy” and “I’m Not Fat … I’m Fluffy.”

*Adult language in the YouTube clips

The best part of this job is being able to watch YouTube videos as “research” for the bands, music artists and comedians that I have the pleasure of interviewing.

A comment on one of Iglesias’ YouTube videos suggested that there be a Gabriel Iglesias app for Smart phones. What a concept: All Fluffy, all the time.

Well, he had already thought of it.

“We do have a free app for Android, Blackberry and iPhone that has videos, ringtones and wallpapers,” he said.

One has to wonder if Iglesias wants to be known as more than the “Fluffy Guy.”

“It’s been my hook, but I’m always looking to change and grow,” he said. “It’s been a part of everything and people have come to expect it — it’s like Larry the Cable Guy getting rid of ‘tater salad.’”

Having a hook like “fluffy” has separated Iglesias from his Hispanic comedian counterparts like George Lopez and Carlos Mencia.

“I used to get compared to them all the time when I first started but now the comparisons are based on other comics like Jeff Dunham,” he said. “Now I feel like I’m advancing.”

Everybody in comedy has a schtick and he said it was too easy to be “pigeon-holed into the Latino thing.”

He would much rather be recognized for his collection of 150 Hawaiian shirts than his last name.

Wait, 150 Hawaiian shirts, you ask? Not joking.

“They’re custom made which is great because they always fit right,” he said. “When you see a person in a Hawaiian shirt, your attitude toward them automatically changes. When you see someone in a suit, he’s a serious guy, but a Hawaiian shirted person is someone you want to have a good time with.”

Some people have a tailor for their pants, but Iglesias has a “Hawaiian shirt guy.”

While waiting to see if Comedy Central will pick up the second season of his comedy show, Iglesias said he is planning to record a new comedy special in his hometown of Long Beach, Calif.

“The material’s there. I just need to put it together and hit record,” he said.

If you get a chance to see the show at the Julie Rogers Theatre, be ready for a “fun show, with no politics or controversy — just positivity.” There will be quite a bit of stage production, too.

“It’s Wrestle Mania meets the Food Network,” he said. Best of both worlds.